CoTswolds Finest News

Quirky hotels in the Cotswolds

Cotswolds Finest Hotels was created to help people planning a visit to the Cotswolds to find their way through the almost overwhelming choice of hotels in the Cotswolds. Our partnership of twenty plus hotels cover inns, town house hotels and manor house hotels. We’re not a chain so there are plenty of quirky things to discover amongst all that tradition.

Every Friday evening, for example, you might see a procession of excited people arrive at the Three Ways House Hotel in the small village of Mickleton, near Chipping Campden in the North Cotswolds. This hotel, one of the few genuinely family-owned hotels in the Cotswolds, is home to The Pudding Club.The ‘Club’ is open to all and sees six traditional British Puddings brought to the table (after a carbohydrate-light main course). It’s a beautiful sight - diners get to taste them all and vote on their favourite of the evening.

It’s a fun evening and the owners have taken their Pudding Club evenings to Japan and New York in the course of a long career.

The hotel rooms are also some of the most inventive amongst hotels in the Cotswolds, themed along pudding lines - with a Spotted Dick room, Sticky Toffee room, Oriental Ginger room, Syrup Sponge themed room and, of course, a Chocolate Suite. There’s a long tradition of spas in the Cotswolds, all those spa hotels cotswolds associations ring true - manor houses with luxury treatments, fresh air and good restaurants. One of the oldest hotels is Charingworth Manor, which has been around for 700 years or so. Tennis courts, gym , pool and sauna make the hotel a great choice for active types. Nearby Cotswold House hotel is a spa retreat in the centre of Chipping Campden popular for the hotels Cotswolds charm and Decleor treatments.

Dormy House, nr Broadway, recently reopened after a substantial refit that put the pool and Spa at the centre of the experience for guests - walk in, float out, is the promise. Guests at nearby Foxhill Manor have access to the Dormy Spa.

Further south amongst hotels cotswolds, The Painswick is another hotel that has recently been fully refurbished and returned with two new rooms for treatments - rooms just happen to have one of the best views in the Cotswolds. The spa uses Elemis skincare products and Leighton Denny for manis and pedis.

Barnsley House, near Bibury offers a spa tucked away in its grounds, with an outdoor heated hydrotherapy pool outside. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide a wide view of the hydrotherapy pool, gardens and countryside.

‘Eat what you want, when you want’ is not the usual offer from your hotel but Foxhill Manor is not an everyday sort of place. Unusually amongst hotels in the Cotswolds, this Grade II listed country home is based on the idea that you have free run of the place during your stay, a chef is on call when needed and you can take dinner wherever you fancy it - whether that’s your room, the terrace, the media room (cinema is a better word) or, well, the safe but predictable option of the dining room. You can book up to three rooms, after that you need to book out the whole of Foxhill Manor - this helps them to ensure a house party atmosphere.

Stay there on a B&B basis and drinks and snacks all day are included. It’s a great experience and dogs are welcome too, perfect for a sneaky luxury escape.

There are 400 acres at Foxhill, in prime Cotswold country overlooking Broadway and the quirky setting and charm of the accommodation have attracted the likes of Lady Gaga and Take That to stay there - but that’s a secret by the way.

Another funky little place is the perfectly-named Village Pub in Barnsley. This sits amongst the accommodation in our groups of hotels in the Cotswolds as an almost perfect example of what a British inn should be like - expect creaking floorboards, impeccable Sunday lunches and good beer. The honeypot visitor village of Bibury is just down the road.

Visit our website for more ideas to find your choice of hotels in the Cotswolds. Calcot Manor Hotel and Spa is a revered name amongst hotels cotswolds, with an outdoor pool , tennis and outdoor gym, free bikes and seasonal horse riding on offer. The Spa is situated in a quiet corner of the grounds, close to the main house, it’s everything you would expect from a hotels Cotswolds Spa. Quiet, calm, beautifully designed and with the uplifting spa aroma that instantly suggests relaxation.

The Calcot Spa team will do whatever they can to make sure you have everything you need and that every detail of your visit is taken care of. The building is lovely, the lavender-lined outdoor hot tub and open fire is inviting and of course the healthy menu is delicious – but most importantly, the spa and the team are exceptional. You will have a great time.

Massages, facials, body polishing, reflexology, waxing, pedicures, manicures and make-up applications are all available at Calcot Spa. There are seven treatment rooms.

Amongst hotels Cotswolds villages remain very popular and, for many, a Spa is an important part of a weekend stay. If you’re booking, the advice is to book spa treatments and sessions early because Cotswolds Finest Hotels are very often as much loved and used by locals as by guests. The combination of Spa treatments, Cotswolds clean air and open spaces and the new emphasis on healthy and organic menus is a powerful one and keeps Spa lovers coming back to the area.